Meet David Almeda

Chief people officer

"The extraordinary competence, character, passion, and dedication of Kronites will always be our biggest competitive advantage. Attracting and retaining great employees requires that we never lose sight of three critical things: relentlessly focusing on making Kronos a fantastic place to work, ensuring that every Kronite has a great manager, and making certain that the work we ask employees to do is personally fulfilling, professionally rewarding, and clearly connected to key company objectives and priorities."

David AlmedaChief people officer

As chief people officer, David Almeda is responsible for overseeing the global human resources function at Kronos. In this role, he drives the company’s human capital management strategy – including talent acquisition and development, compensation and benefits, facilities, corporate security, and employee engagement programs – to support the company’s continued growth, innovation, and profitability.

Almeda is a firm believer that innovative ideas come from Kronites who work in every corner of the globe and that a talented workforce is the cornerstone of Kronos being successful. As an active advocate for Kronites to view Kronos as a great place to work and a company committed to health and wellness, Almeda is credited with bringing the award-winning “WorkInspired” employment brand to life at Kronos.

Capitalizing on the Kronos culture of caring and building on its strong foundation of trust and transparency, Almeda and his team were instrumental in raising Kronos global engagement scores to record-highs that far outpace benchmarks for global software providers. Almeda’s vision and leadership has evolved the employee experience at Kronos, leading to the company being honored as a top place to work in every country where it has an office, including being named a Fortune magazine “Top 100 Companies to Work For®” and a Glassdoor “Top 100 Best Places to Work.” Almeda, who was named CHRO of the Year in 2017 by HRO Today, has led the implementation of innovative benefits and employee development programs that have been featured in several leading publications, including Harvard Business Review featuring the company’s myTime open paid time off program and The Wall Street Journal chronicling the revolutionary Kronos Manager Effectiveness Index initiative.

Almeda brings a wealth of human resources management expertise to Kronos, after having spent 16 years in various human resources functions at Staples, a $25 billion retailer with more than 90,000 employees worldwide. No stranger to managing functions across vast geographic regions, Almeda’s most recent position with Staples was vice president of global human resources. In that capacity, Almeda supervised vice presidents of human resources for Staples’ four primary business units. Earlier in his career with Staples, he served in various roles including vice president of global HR administration, vice president of worldwide HR integration, and vice president of European strategy based in Belgium. Prior to joining Staples, Almeda held a management position with The Hertz Corporation, a $4.5 billion division of Ford Motor Co.

Almeda is an active member of the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM); serves on the Board of Directors of the New England Human Resources Association; and is an advisory board member of both The Workforce Institute at Kronos, and the Executive Program in Work-based Learning Leadership at the University of Pennsylvania/Wharton. A sought-after expert on HR issues, he has presented at or been published by organizations such as The Conference Board, Harvard Business School, and CMO Magazine.

In addition to earning a bachelor’s degree in marketing, Almeda also holds a master’s degree in HR management, and a doctoral degree from The University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School/Graduate School of Education.